News

Dinkins is New Appellate Judge

Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Richard H. Dinkins of Nashville Jan. 11 to fill the vacancy on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Middle Section. The vacancy was created by the death of Judge William Bryan Cain in September.

Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Dinkins had served as chancellor of the Davidson County Chancery Court, Part IV, since 2003. He received the Freedom Fighter Medal from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and was also awarded the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the Tennessee Bar Association in 2004.

"Richard Dinkins has developed extensive experience in his career with the Davidson County Chancery Court and in the private sector, and I am confident that he will serve the Tennessee Court of Appeals with honor and integrity," Bredesen said in making the appointment.

Leaders form '08 class

The fifth class of TBA Leadership Law organized in January, with 34 attorneys from across the state. Leadership Law is designed to equip participants with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. Meetings this year will take the class to legislative sessions at the Capitol, the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and graduation will be in connection with the TBA Annual Meeting and Convention in Gatlinburg.

Briefs

Annual report of Tennessee Judiciary released: The 2006-2007 annual report of the Tennessee Judiciary is available on the Administrative Office of the Court's Web site (http://www.tncourts.gov) and can be downloaded. A CD version of the report also is available. Contact the AOC at (615) 741-2687 or (800) 448-7970 to request your own copy.

Sculpture to raise awareness of child abuse: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of East Tennessee, which serves abused and neglected children in Knox, Blount, Sevier and Hamblen counties, has commissioned a sculpture to raise awareness of the problem of child abuse. The sculpture will be placed in front of the Knox County Juvenile Court and carry a tribute to former juvenile Judge Carey E. Garrett. The organization is soliciting donations from the legal community to help fund the initiative. Contact CASA at (865) 329-3399 for more information

Battling the invasion of the jerks: Workplace bullies are becoming a national epidemic and law firms are not immune. The latest issue of The Complete Lawyer looks at this problem " how bullies are causing increased turnover, absenteeism and a declining commitment to work " and explores how to confront the problem and develop strategies for eliminating it. Find this and more in the latest Complete Lawyer at www.tba2.org/journal_links.

RIP Court TV: Court TV lost its legal identity at the first of the year when it was rebranded as truTV, a name that its owners hope will emphasize the prime-time action programming it now features. Joining the lineup will be "Ocean Force Huntington Beach O.C.," a new series that follows lifeguards on a busy California beach, emphasizing heart-pounding rescues rather than hot bodies. The network that got its start covering the O.J. Simpson trial will still feature six hours of legal-oriented material during the day.

Law school rankings not only factor in landing good job: Lawyer and law professor Cameron Stracher writes in the Wall Street Journal that students who want a job at a top law firm shouldn't blindly follow school rankings. She argues that while a school's rank does influence a graduate's options, grades and law review are more important. Locate her article at www.tba2.org/journal_links.

Good-looking lawyers more likely to succeed? A study by the Economist found that beautiful people, by and large, have more successful careers, even in fields where beauty is not a necessary qualification. When it comes to lawyers, the story is the same. The magazine looked at lawyers rated attractive based on their graduation photograph and determined that they went on to earn higher salaries than their colleagues. Find the article at www.tba2.org/journal_links

Haynes appointed chief deputy attorney general: Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper announced Jan. 7 that Associate Chief Deputy Lucy Honey Haynes is the new chief deputy attorney general. Haynes will fill the position vacated by former Chief Deputy Andy Bennett, who was appointed to the Court of Appeals last fall.

Leaner pay may be new reality: As law firms wrapped up operations for 2007, the associate compensation picture looked eerily similar to the boom before the bust seven years ago, according to Law.com. Read its outlook for salaries at www.tba2.org/journal_links

Follow legislative progress: Stay abreast of key legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly with the TBA bill tracking service. Go to www.tba2.org/tbatoday/legislation ï¿½